• Bologna,  Italy,  TRAVEL/HOLIDAYS

    Bologna Children’s Book Fair, Italy

    The Bologna Children’s Book Fair is the most important international event dedicated to the children’s publishing and multimedia industry.


    This book fair is strictly for professionals and closed to the general public. However, among the many categories of exhibitors admitted, illustrators are certainly welcome! In 2010, with the sponsorship of my book publisher, I got to visit the fair. Being an illustrator myself, I quickly feel belonged. It is such amazing to see children’s books everywhere. There must’ve been millions of books! Great works from great illustrators from around the world were all there.

    One thing that I observed here, illustrators brought their portfolios and approached publishers to show their works. Some even brought mock-up books of what they have written and illustrated. I am very amazed at how they promote themselves and the effort they took to wait in a long queue just to have publishers look at their works. This I have yet to see at our local children’s book fair.

    And to make it interesting, the organiser have a wall where illustrators can share their artworks. Some put up their postcards and some put up a box with flyers and namecards. I managed to grab some interesting postcards and namecards as keepsakes.

    For your information, Bologna Children’s Book Fair has been around for 49 years. Bologna Children’s Book Fair  is an annual event where authors, illustrators, literary agents, licensors and licensees, packagers, distributors, printers, booksellers, and librarians meet. Here they sell and buy copyright, find the very best of children’s publishing and multimedia production, generate and gather new contacts while strengthening professional relationships, discover new business opportunities, discuss and debate the latest sector trends.

    I really really had fun visiting the book fair. Hope to visit again next year to stick something on the wall.

  • home & living

    Home Renovation – the art of choosing your tiles

    Have you ever find it so hard to choose tiles when renovating your home? Well, few years back, my mom and me, we had tough time choosing tiles; from the brand to the design and the size. It was really difficult as there are so many types of tiles to choose from. They come in different size, colour, material, design, quality and cost. Do you know that, some are designed specifically for walls while others are made for only wet surfaces? You can also read articles which may have more hints for anything else that can improve your home renovation.

    Do you really know what to choose?

    Yeah, I probably know your answer will be similar to mine because I am not an expert in choosing tile. So, my advice is you should locate a professional flooring contractor. I know finding contractors with the right experience laying tiles can be quite hard but it is better to spend once rather than spend twice when you find out that your uncertified contractor is not doing a good job; in terms of workmanship as well as the choice of poor quality tiles. Incorrect installation can lead to problems including loose tiles; cracked tile or grout, or uneven tiles. More often than not, the tiles will unfairly get the blame for these problems.

    When it comes to tiles, the rule of thumb should be good quality and good workmanship can last a lifetime!

    Here are some tips to help you make the right decision on your tiles:

    1. Use quality tiles. It will also help if the products comply with established certifications and standards. It will save you a lot of cost and hassle in the future.

    2. Use the right tiles. Slip resistant tiles are suitable for outdoor and wet areas. But the slip resistant characteristic can trap dirt, making it harder to clean. Also, wall tiles should not be installed on the floor as they may not be able to withstand heavy traffic. Utilising your tiles correctly can bring out the best in your investment.

    3. Use professionals. Make sure that those installing your tiles have the necessary experience and expertise to avoid installation problems later on. In addition, if you encounter any unexpected plumbing issues during the installation process, be sure to hire an emergency plumber to address the situation promptly.

    4. Maintenance is the key. Tiles need to be cleaned consistently to maintain its original appearance and characteristics. Sweeping and vacuuming are important to remove soil and dirt that may be abrasive to a tile’s glazed surface.

    You should also consider installing Timber gates at the entrance of your driveway if you want to enhance the curb appeal of your property and improve security.

    The best way to make a good decision when investing in tiles is to be informed. There are many reliable resources where you can learn more about tiles available on the Internet. While renovating your home, not just your tiles, you may have to install new appliances like the one on this continued post, and do some repair works.

    If you’re noticing signs of roof damage such as leaks or missing shingles, it’s wise to consider hiring Roof Replacement Sydney services to ensure the integrity of your home’s roofing system.

    Therefore, it is better to contact experienced and reputed electrician perth, who can provide affordable and quality solutions for your home. You can also talk to experts from established manufacturers and retailers.

  • Art & Places,  Cape Town, SA,  sculpture,  TRAVEL/HOLIDAYS

    Art & Places: Nobel Peace Prize Laureates statues, Cape Town

    When visiting V & A Waterfront, Cape Town, South Africa, one cannot miss a row of Nobel Peace Prize Laureates statues at the Nobel Square.

    When my husband and I came across these four statues, we were excited to take photos. The four statues are arranged in a neat row for us to pose by, with the added bonus of Table Mountain as a backdrop–a photo opportunity not to be passed up!

    The four Laureates are Albert Lithuli (1960), Desmond Tutu (1984), FW de Klerk (1993) and Nelson Mandela (1993). The larger-than-life-sized statues are casted in bronze and were the work of renowned Cape Town artist, Claudette Schreuders. These bronze statues were built to honour South Africa’s four Nobel Peace Prize Laureates for the role they played in achieving peace and democracy.

    Nobel Square is situated just beside Waterfront Art Market.

    My husband posing with the statues. His favourite is of course, Mr. Mandela. I tell about the giant red crates statue later in another post.

  • Art & Places,  sculpture,  Shanghai

    Art & Places: Giant Sundial, Pudong, Shanghai, China

    When I saw this giant sundial while visiting Shanghai last February, it reminded me of my son who is quite amazed with how a sundial works.

    Completed in April 2000, this giant sundial sculpture, known as Oriental Light, is situated at the eastern end of Century Avenue, forming the entrance to Century Square, Pudong, Shanghai. This large scale sculpture  which represents a huge time piece also serves as public modern art and the first of it’s kind of large-scale urban landscape sculptures in China. The large elliptical frame measures 400 square meters and the total length of the stainless steel tubes used exceeds 6,000 meters. Oriental Light was built based on an idea by French architect, Jean Marie Charpentier.

    A sundial is an instrument that measures time by the position of the sun. Called “rigui” in Chinese, a sundial is a timepiece that indicates the daylight hours by the shadow that the gnomon casts on a calibrated dial in ancient China. A typical sundial is made up of a bronze pointer and a stone dial. The earliest sundial in the world was created some 6,000 years ago in ancient Babylon. And the earliest sundial of China, according to historical documents, was the flat horizontal dial plate, or the horizontal sundial invented in 574 AD.

  • Art & Places

    Art & Places: Shikumen in Old-Day Postcard Book, Shanghai

    I like to buy painted postcards from places that I went to and during my recent trip to Shanghai, I found a gem; a book of painted postcards entitled Shikumen in Old-Day Shanghai, painted by Ye Xiong,  a native of Chongming, Shanghai. I picked it up and paid instantly.

    I am not familiar with Ye Xiong but I learned about him when I bought this postcard book. Ye Xiong is a multiple award-winning artist and has attained The Best Work Award twice, the National Book Award and the Bing Xin Child Literature Book Award once each. He is currently the Vice President of Shanghai Painting and Calligraphy, Institute of Democratic League.

    This book has a set of a dozen postcards that feature beautiful paintings of Shikumen houses, one of the symbols of old-day Shanghai. The price is RMB18 and can be bought from Old Shanghai Market.

  • Family travel,  Malaysia,  Perak,  TRAVEL/HOLIDAYS

    Gua Tempurung, Perak

    During our road trip to Kedah early this year, my husband decided to take the exit at Tanjung Malim (Exit 121) and drive along the trunk road (Federal Route 1) as the expressway was quite jammish. We don’t mind the long and winding road as the sight is better than the expressway. There’s actually a lot to see. And so, when we saw signages and directions to Gua Tempurung, a well-known limestone cave in Gopeng, we decided to just drop by and visit the cave.


    Part of Gua Tempurung has been developed as a show cave with electric lighting and walkways and there are a range of tours of different lengths and difficulty. Knowing that I am not that fit, my husband bought tickets for the shortest tour. Tickets are very cheap; RM6 for an adult and RM2.50 for children. The tour we took was Tour 1: Golden Flowstone. Tour is about 40 minutes and starts every half an hour from 9am to 4pm.

    Yassin and his dad admiring the cave.

    I was pretty impressive with a speleotherm that looks like ‘Monalisa’ .

    Gua Tempurung (Tempurung Cave) existed since early 8000 B.C. The cave measures 1.9 km in length and 120 metres in height and situated inside Gunung Tempurung that stands 497 meters high. The mountain is an erosional remnant near an ancient coastline. Years of mineralisation of the limestone rocks yielded deposits of tin, with some tungsten minerals and other minor ores.

    Gua Tempurung is made up of five huge domes, each of them has different formations of stalagmites and stalactites as well as different temperatures, water level, content of limestone and marble. Concealed within this limestone massif is an intricate system of caves honeycombed inside the limestone hills. These caves are actually a breathtaking gallery of super geological wonders that can only be found in this part of the world.


    For more information about the cave and tour, visit Gua Tempurung website.